Visitor of the Week: Madison Altieri

Meet Madison Altieri of Bowling Green State University (BGSU). The Masters Student is a member of Dr. Julia Halo’s lab who presented a poster at our 2022 biohistory meeting addressing Fifty Years of Reverse Transcriptase. This meeting not only represents the first one Madison joins at CSHL but it is also her first in-person scientific conference. We are honored to be able to welcome another bright researcher to the community.

Tell us about your research.
My work focuses on The Role of SINE Sequence in Retrotransposition with the genome. SINEs are derived from noncoding RNA and parasitize a reverse transcriptase from its partner, LINE.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
My start in research began as a box to check off to get into medical school, but slowly turned into a strong admiration for science and asking challenging questions. It wasn’t long before I realized I really loved my research. The dichotomy between the selfish element and the genome is the reason why I fell in love with retroelements and selfish elements. I like studying elements that are not innately good or bad. I’m excited to see what we know about retroelements in the future.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
The women in science who came before me are a big inspiration for my scientific endeavor. Women in STEM have come a long way in science. I thank them for all that they have done in order for me to be here.  

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
What drew me into Julia’s lab was how she spoke about her research and science. Anyone listening knew that she was passionate about her work. She was like the Bill Nye of retroelements. It occurred to me that not only did Bill and Julia express enthusiasm, but she was communicating science in fun ways in which laymen could follow. Something scientists are traditionally challenged in. My objective is to express to my students and those around me that science is incredibly fun, amazing, and for everyone. The need for scientists to effectively communicate scientific ideas is imposing and I hope through work and promotion that future scientists such as my colleagues and students will be embracing of the responsibility.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
Most people would hate the thought of not knowing an answer, but it is in not knowing that scientific progress occurs. Scientific discovery is like a clean slate where creativity flows. Through further research the knowledge is assembled, but the puzzle is never solved and the limits on learning is nonexistent.

What drew you to attend this meeting?
I am still fresh in the realm of research and this meeting provides me an opportunity to learn the history of the reverse transcriptase from those who did the historical work to discover and characterize the enzyme in viruses and other retroelements.  

What is your key takeaway from the Meeting; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
The road to discovering reverse transcriptase was long and the research associated with this enzyme is still ongoing--and the work will never end.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in a future CSHL biohistory meeting?
I would encourage others to participate in future CSHL meetings to meet other researchers interested in the same topics as you, as they really get you thinking about your own research. It is a great opportunity to meet the people in your field of research.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Meeting?
The most memorable thing that impacted me was the research on HIV drugs and HIV resistance. I was taken back at how innovative these researchers were at inhibiting an enzyme using nucleoside and nonnucleoside RT inhibitors.

You presented a poster entitled “The Role of SINE Structure in Retrotransposition” – how was the experience?
My poster session went very well. I received a lot of questions of topics I haven’t pondered before that challenged me to think further into my research. It was also very refreshing to hear other research avenues on reverse transcriptase as well while meeting and interacting with wonderful people.

Is this your first in-person meeting since the pandemic? 
This meeting is the first meeting I’ve ever been to in person. The sole previous meeting I’ve been to and one oral presentation at BGSU have been over Zoom in the comfort of my own home. After all this time in the pandemic, you’d think I’d be repulsed by viruses, but in turn the opposite has occurred where I’m thrilled to be learning more about reverse transcriptase and the viruses and elements that encode it.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
When I first walked around CSHL, I was quite surprised. When I thought of CSHL, I thought of a tall skyscraper and instead I found myself among cabins and a room overlooking the harbor. It provided a more intimate environment that made you feel at ease. Even if that intimate environment allowed me to embarrassingly call a toaster a “toast machine” in front of David Baltimore.

Thank you to Madison for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured researchers - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course - go here.

Image provided by Madison Altieri

Visitor of the Week: Ioanna Myronidi

Meet Ioanna Myronidi of Stockholm Univeristy. The Greek national is a PhD student in Professor Per. O Ljungdahl’s lab within the Department of Molecular Biosciences, Wenner-Gren Institute who is currently taking part in the 2019 biohistory meeting on Yeast Research: Origins, Insights & Breakthroughs. This is her first meeting at CSHL and it included a poster presentation on “The ER membrane chaperone Shr3 co-translationally assists biogenesis of related polytopic membrane protein substrates” (a collaboration between Andreas Ring, Per Ljungdahl, and Ioanna). Thought his wasn’t the first time she presented a poster, “it was definitely the one [she] enjoyed the most.” Here is what else Ioanna said about her experience:

Given the history that comes with CSHL I had imagined that it would be a very inspiring place to be. It absolutely lived up to my expectations. I would recommend this meeting to everyone working with yeast, not only for the high-quality science that was presented and discussed but also for the opportunity to hear firsthand about some of the discoveries that laid the groundwork for establishing yeast as a model system.

We hope to have her back for Yeast Genetics & Genomics – a course she “would love to attend”.

What are your research interest? What are you working on?
My research interests focus on the mechanisms that govern the biogenesis of complex polytopic membrane proteins, i.e. how proteins that span a membrane multiple times manage to fold into a proper three-dimensional structure in the extremely crowded cellular environment and reach the target membrane compartment. With the use of yeast as a model eukaryotic system, I am studying how membrane chaperones at the endoplasmic reticulum assist complex polytopic membrane proteins -- such as amino acid transporters -- to fold correctly as they are being synthesized and destined for functional expression at the plasma membrane.

How did you decide to make this the focus of your research?
During a series of lectures on transporter protein biogenesis, function and regulation given by Professor George Diallinas at the University of Athens (Greece) I found myself fascinated by the mechanisms that drive the journey of membrane proteins through the secretory pathway of cells. Later on, I got the opportunity to work on a six-month project on amino acid transporter biogenesis in Professor Per Ljungdahl’s lab at Stockholm University where I came to work with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a beautiful eukaryotic system to study membrane protein biogenesis among a broad spectrum of other cellular processes. This experience was so motivating and inspiring that I knew the puzzle was complete: the question, the system, the place.

How did your scientific journey begin?
I find the “Why?” of curious kids evolving into the “How?” of motivated scientists most intriguing. I guess for some people the curiosity about how life works can only be satisfied as a scientist – and that is me.

Was there something specific about the Yeast Research: Origins, Insights & Breakthroughs meeting that drew you to attend?
There are two points that immediately drew me to attend the meeting: The excellent list of invited speakers and the opportunity to visit CSHL.

This is a historical meeting that brought together scientists that did groundbreaking work based on yeast genetics. Thus, for young scientists such as myself, I found it very motivating to be so encouraged to discuss our work and put it into perspective.

What is your key takeaway from the Meeting?
I got very useful feedback on our work and I look forward to trying out some of the suggested experimental approaches that allow the investigation of protein-protein interactions.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
Aside from science talks and discussions, I mostly liked hanging out in this wonderful place with people that come from every place on earth.

Thank you to Ioanna for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course - go here.

Visitor of the Week: Megan Povelones

Meet Megan Povelones of Penn State Brandywine. Since 2012, the assistant professor in biology has been running her lab alongside a technician and handful of undergraduates. Megan is on campus for The Evolving Concept of Mitochondria: From Symbiotic Origins to Therapeutic Origins meeting where she presented a poster entitled “The single mitochondrion of the kinetoplastid parasite Crithidia fasciculata is a dynamic network”.

What are your research interests? What are you working on?
I study how single-celled parasites called kinetoplastids adapt their mitochondrial shape and function to survive in different hosts. As early-diverging eukaryotes, these mechanisms may reveal shared properties of mitochondrial networks in a variety of organisms.

How did you decide to make this the focus of your research?
In graduate school I was studying mitochondrial DNA replication in Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness. In a genetic screen for replication defects, I by chance discovered a protein that altered mitochondrial shape. It fascinated me that the kinetoplastid mitochondrion had such an unusual shape (a single branched network in each cell) and that this shape was developmentally regulated, but that the proteins required for maintenance and remodeling of mitochondrial structure were completely unknown.

How did your scientific journey begin?
I was lucky to have fantastic mentors starting with a dynamic high school chemistry teacher, Mary Fuller. She loved science, adventure, travel, and rode a Harley, so clearly I wanted to be just like her. I read a lot of popular science books in high school, primarily about infectious diseases and epidemiology. I began my graduate studies thinking I wanted to be a virologist, but after rotating in a parasitology lab I was amazed by their complexity and beautiful cell biology and have been working on kinetoplastids ever since. My graduate mentor, Paul Englund -- an amazing scientist, mentor, and generally good person -- inspired me with his passion for science, scientific rigor, and the remarkable clarity with which he thought about and communicated scientific ideas.

Was there something specific about The Evolving Concept of Mitochondria: From Symbiotic Origins to Therapeutic Opportunities meeting that drew you to attend?
As a parasitologist, I welcomed the opportunity to attend a meeting focused on mitochondria. I was also drawn to the idea of a meeting that is a mix of historical retrospectives and current, cutting-edge developments. I enjoy learning about the history of science and the people who made it happen. My undergraduate students enjoy hearing these stories too, and I look forward to sharing some of what I’ve learned in the classroom.

What is your key takeaway from the meeting?
As this is a historical meeting, some of the speakers are sharing an overview of their work as it has developed over the course of their career. At this level, it is clear that while they are all brilliant scientists, there is a considerable amount of resilience, persistence, and luck that is required for success in science. This can be an important message, particularly for trainees and young scientists.

What did you pick up or learn from the meeting that you plan to apply to your work?
I’m interested in mitochondrial remodeling reactions within the single mitochondrial network of kinetoplastid parasites. At this meeting, I’ve seen the work of others who have used markers for specific mitochondrial compartments and super-resolution microscopy techniques to provide detailed insights into these processes. This is something I’m eager to apply to my system to learn if fusion and fission in kinetoplastid mitochondrial networks is mechanistically similar to that in mammals.

If someone curious in attending one of our future history meetings asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her?
I would say it is a great opportunity to learn the history of a field while getting caught up on the latest research. You get to hear directly from those who made landmark discoveries, and you will come away with a greater appreciation for the process of science.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
It’s very pretty here. I like seeing the water everywhere I walk, and all the sculptures. I also like seeing the names and pictures of famous scientists everywhere. It really feels like being part of a community. It’s great to be at a place where science is so prevalent and so celebrated.

Thank you to Megan for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course - go here.